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Model Bookshop: The new Shonan T-Site bookstore sets the stage for the 21st century

Recently I mused about the benefits of putting a bookstore in every mall and wouldn’t you know Japan’s leading entertainment retailer Tsutaya has just hit it out of the park with the opening of their latest store Shonan T-Site, located 30 miles outside of Tokyo.

Tsutaya returned to architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham to help create their second retail outlet. Their first venture together, the Daikanyama project, won numerous awards including World’s Best Shopping Center at the World Architecture Festival and the 2013 Grand Prize at Design For Asia.

Says Dytham:

Shonan T-Site continues the reinvention of the modern-day bookstore as initiated by the Daikanyama project. However, the new space takes this one step further by also challenging conventional shopping malls and department stores with the creation of a unique 21st century retail experience

At Shonan T-Site the books and magazines are integrated with similar retail elements. The photography books complement a camera and photo printing shop, the cooking magazines are displayed alongside kitchen utensils, etc.

There is also an Apple Store, a cafe, a lounge and two restaurants to round out the offerings.

Dytham still sees a “very strong future for books” and by creating a bookstore that is part of the fabric of a larger retail experience he just might have given us a blueprint for the 21st century bookstore.

Note: This is a seattlepi.com reader blog. It is not written or edited by the P-I. The authors are solely responsible for content. E-mail us at newmedia@seattlepi.com if you consider a post inappropriate.